Most researchers and educators contend that spoken language is seamlessly acquired from birth onward by natural interactions with persons whereas the acquisition of written language requires formal instruction and schooling. In contrast, the theory upon which the present invention is based is that written language understanding, or literacy, can be acquired seamlessly if it is constantly available in the same way that spoken language is available.
Many scientists and researchers believe that children are not ready to read until at least the age of five. Many developmental psychologists and neuroscientists claim that early reading before school age is not biologically or behaviorally possible.
Most reading specialists believe that reading must be taught via speech and, therefore, should not be taught until spoken language has been mastered to a significant degree. Given this pedagogical framework, written language is not usually presented for reading until the child gains expertise in spoken language and attends school for formal instruction. When written language is introduced, it is in the context of directed instruction that usually involves building phonological awareness, learning the alphabet, learning sight words, and sounding out words.
Popular commercial products for learning to read generally require instructional pedagogy and practice wherein the learning process is highly contingent on the child's understanding of spoken language. For example, some companies market early reading products that make the learning of written words contingent on pairing them with spoken language.
Evidence from behavioral and neuroscience has documented so-called critical periods in audition, vision, and language. These critical periods represent periods in a child's lifespan that are crucial for development. In contrast to later in life, the brains of young children are especially plastic, or malleable. Deprivation of sensory or linguistic input during this time leads to a substantial deficit of the sensory system or in the specific language ability of the child. Therefore, minimizing appropriate written input during this period could put the child at a disadvantage in learning to read when schooling begins.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a system in which written language is provided to the developing child soon after birth at an appropriate level and in an appropriate format. Such a system would automatically recognize spoken language as well as the visual elements of the environment in which speech is occurring. It would then present some written description of the speech and/or the scene to the child. Moreover, it would be advantageous for reading acquisition if the written description were appropriate to the child's level of understanding.